Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 80 One of a Kind in the Capital

Before long, the waiter started serving the dishes. First, he brought out a copper pot with ginger slices and scallion segments, and then served the four of them beer and Beibingyang soda.

Li Zhe poured himself a beer, raised his glass, and said, "Brothers, let's have a drink."

"cheers!"

Li Weidong seemed very excited. He had hardly ever drunk beer in his life, and the first sip felt refreshingly cool. "Wow, that's exciting!"

The waiters began serving the dishes one after another, bringing out several prepared dipping sauces, including a sauce topped with chive blossoms, fermented bean curd, and a small dish of chili oil.

Wang Jianjun imitated Li Zhe by stirring the sesame paste, took a bite, and exclaimed, "Hey, it smells so good!"

Several plates of mutton were served, and everyone's mouths watered. These days, you need coupons to buy mutton; the last time we ate mutton was when Zhao Tiezhu somehow got hold of the coupons.

Zhao Tiezhu picked up a piece of mutton, dipped it in the clear broth, then put it in his mouth, his eyes immediately narrowing.

Li Zhe picked up the plate of mutton and pushed it into the pot with his chopsticks.

Zhao Tiezhu said, "Brother, I heard people say that mutton should be picked up and cooked one slice at a time, otherwise it won't taste good when it gets old."

Li Zhe laughed and said, "Zhu Zi, don't listen to them, they're just being fussy."

Wang Jianjun said, "Zhezi, I think I've heard that before. Is there any explanation?"

Li Zhe stirred the pot, and after it boiled, he picked up some mutton and put it in a bowl. "There's no particular reason, it just means 'poor' literally. The meat's cooked, guys, let's eat!"

“The second brother is right. What’s the point of making money? Isn’t it to drink and eat meat to our hearts’ content?” Li Weidong also picked up a mouthful of food.

Wang Jianjun and Zhao Tiezhu also picked up a couple of bites, and the broth in the pot turned into clear soup again. They were both strong young men in their twenties; they were lucky if the meat was even cooked through, let alone overcooked.
Eating a bite of mutton dipped in sesame sauce and drinking a sip of cold beer was absolutely delicious.

In just over ten minutes, the five plates of mutton were empty. Li Zhe called over the waiter, "Five more plates of mutton, three bottles of beer, and a bottle of Beibingyang soda. Anything else, guys?"

"enough."

"No, thank you." The three brothers shook their heads.

Li Zhe said to the waiter, "This is enough for now, we can order more if it's not enough. Please add more soup for us first."

Li Weidong, beaming with satisfaction, put his arm around Li Zhe's shoulder and said, "Second brother, it would be wonderful if we could have hot pot with mutton every month from now on!"

"I don't like hearing you say that. There are so many restaurants in Beijing. We can't just focus on this one. I'll take you to eat at every restaurant in Beijing, big and small, in the future!"

Now it was Li Weidong's turn to feel the pinch. "Eating it once in a while is fine, but if you eat it every day, how much money would that cost?"

A middle-aged woman with short hair walked over carrying a red lacquered wooden tray and placed two plates of mutton on the table. "Comrades, this is for you. I am Chen Hongying, the manager of our restaurant. The beer and Beibingyang soda are a gift from me."

Li Zhe countered, "Manager Chen, is there any explanation for this? Is it complimentary for every table, or just for my table?"

"Your table is the only one that has food. I just want to make friends with you and get to know you."

"You're too kind." Li Zhe picked up another glass and poured her a beer. "I'd like to toast you!"

Chen Hongying was also a straightforward person; she picked up her glass and downed it in one gulp. "Comrade, what's your name? Where do you work?"

"My name is Li Zhe, and I'm just a vegetable farmer."

Chen Hongying then asked, "Did you grow the spinach yourself?"

"Yes, it's a vegetable greenhouse that my family built."

As they were talking, two more waiters came over and brought the remaining mutton and drinks.

Chen Hongying didn't linger, smiling, "Comrades, please continue eating, we'll chat later." Li Zhe didn't try to stop her, and continued eating.

Li Weidong asked in a low voice, "Second brother, what does Manager Chen mean? Does he want our spinach?"

Li Zhe added another plate of mutton to the pot. "Eat first, we'll talk after you finish." He wasn't worried about selling his own vegetables; it was just a matter of how much markup to pay. If the other party couldn't offer a satisfactory price, Li Zhe wouldn't sell even if she wanted to.

The four of them had been so focused on eating mutton that they had only eaten a small portion of the spinach. Customers kept coming over to ask where the spinach came from, and some even wanted to buy some, but Li Zhe refused them all.

After finishing his meal, Li Zhe waved to the waitress to pay the bill. The waitress, unusually, smiled and said, "Comrade Li Zhe, our manager has already settled your bill. He even said he'd like to invite you to his office for a cup of tea."

"Brother, you and Zhuzi go out for some fresh air first. Jianjun and I are going to get some fresh air." Li Zhe turned to the waiter and said, "Comrade, please lead the way."

Led by the waiter, the three arrived at a small office on the back street of the restaurant.

The waiter knocked on the door. "Manager Chen, Mr. Li has arrived."

The door opened from the inside, and Chen Hongying greeted him with a smile, "Comrade Li Zhe, please come in!" Then she asked Wang Jianjun, "What is this comrade's name?"

"Wang Jianjun".

Chen Hongying couldn't figure out the relationship between the two, and didn't want to ask them directly. She invited them to sit down and brewed a pot of green tea for them.

Li Zhe, displaying a touch of youthful shyness, said, "Manager Chen, how much was the meal? Let me pay for it. We've only just met, I can't let you treat me."

“Comrade Li Zhe, I felt an instant connection with you the moment I saw you. Although this is our first meeting, we may end up interacting frequently in the future.”

Chen Hongying changed the subject, "I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Our shop always has a vegetable shortage in winter, as you've probably seen—we only have radishes, potatoes, and cabbage for hot pot. Don't you grow spinach? I'd like to buy from you. I wonder what your spinach costs?"

Today's price for Da Jin Ya is four yuan per jin (500g), while Li Weidong sells it for five yuan per jin at the market. Judging from market feedback, this price is reasonable. Li Zhe said, "Five yuan per jin."

Chen Hongying said in surprise, "Your business is much more profitable than ours."

"Manager Chen, please don't make fun of me. This is just a small business, how can it compare to your store?" Li Zhe said sincerely. "Growing vegetables in winter is not easy, the cost is particularly high, and if we sell them at a low price, we will lose money."

"Mr. Li, can you give me a discount if I buy more?"

Li Zhe smiled and asked in return, "How many do you want?"

"20 pounds."

Li Zhe gestured, "Six yuan per jin."

Chen Hongying raised her voice, "Wow, I want a lot, and you've raised the price? I've never seen anyone sell vegetables like this."

Wang Jianjun subtly nudged Li Zhe's foot, worried that Li Zhe's words might ruin the business deal.

Li Zhe had his own explanation: "I don't grow much spinach, only about 20 jin (10 catties), and most of it has already been pre-ordered. If you want to buy more, I'll have to pay a premium to buy it back from other sellers. Don't think it's expensive; I don't think it's worth it either."

If you're really serious about buying it, I'll give you ten jin (5 kg), at five yuan per jin. If you think that's too expensive, we can work together again next time.

Chen Hongying was taken aback. "Is there really only a little over 20 jin of spinach?"

"Not bad at all."

Chen Hongying hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll buy them all, at six yuan a pound as you said."

At this time of year, there is no spinach for sale in the Beijing market. Paying an extra twenty yuan to buy the only one in Beijing is a worthwhile investment!

(End of this chapter)